One more COVID-19 case confirmed

MCPH explain onset dates

By Melody Vallieu

Miami Valley Today

MIAMI COUNTY — One additional COVID-19 case is being reported in Miami County for a total of 314 cases.

No more deaths are being reported, according to Miami County Public Health (MCPH) officials. The death toll stands at 28, MCPH officials said. Total hospitalizations in Miami County remain at 49 admissions.

Early last week, testing began on all residents and staff at Koester Pavilion and SpringMeade Health Center. This additional testing helped identify previously existing cases, and in turn showed an increase in positive COVID-19 cases for Miami County, according to MCPH officials.

MCPH officials said they have become aware of data published on Monday that shows the onset date of COVID-19 patients in January, specifically Jan. 7 and Jan. 28. This data was published on the Ohio Department of Health’s website. MCPH has previously maintained the onset date of the first case in the county was March 1.

“While this data is technically accurate,” MCPH officials said it is important to understand this data in context, which requires an understanding of confirmed versus probable cases.

“Confirmed cases are typically identified by a nasal swab that shows active virus in a patient. This type of test shows an active infection at the time the patient had that test. In contrast, the newer antibody tests are a blood test that show the presence of antibodies for COVID-19,” MCPH officials said. “These tests (are) usually indicative of a past infection, not an active infection.”

When MCPH receives a positive antibody test, the patient is contacted and interviewed, according to MCPH officials said. Many times this interview will reveal a patient had symptoms in the past that are similar to symptoms of COVID-19, MCPH officials said.

“We note the onset date of all symptoms as part of the case investigation and part of our data collection and tracking. This should not be taken as a confirmation that individuals had an active COVID-19 infection at a specific time in the past,” MCPH officials said. “Please note that with COVID-19, many individuals may be asymptomatic when they have active infection. Determining when an individual had an active COVID-19 infection based off an antibody test can be difficult, and information related to this should be understood in that context.”

In Ohio, there are 25,250 total coronavirus cases and 1,303 total deaths.

There have been 4,539 hospital admissions with 1,232 intensive care admissions.

Ages range from under the age of 1 to 108 years old with a median age of 50. There are 54 percent males affected by the virus and 45 percent females, with 1 percent not reported.